Reverend said, making a temple out of his long fingers.
The light over him picked out his high cheekbones and his hard jaw and his heavy shoulders. His mohawk had been trimmed, the black stripe no more than two inches off his skull. "Yeah... I've been thinking about the fact that you know my little secret. I'm feeling exposed."
Phury stayed silent, wondering where in the hell this was going.
The Reverend pushed back his chair and crossed his legs, ankle on his knee. His expensive suit fell open, revealing his broad chest. "You can imagine how I feel. How it keeps me up."
"Try some Ambien. That'll knock you out."
"Or I could light up a lot of red smoke. Just like you, right?" The male ran a hand over his mohawk, lips lifting into a sly grin. "Yeah, I really don't fee! safe."
What a lie that was. The guy kept himself surrounded by Moors who were as smart as they were lethal. And he was definitely someone who could handle himself. Besides, symphaths had advantages in conflict that no one else did.
The Reverend stopped smiling. "I was thinking maybe you could cop to your secret. Then we'd be even."
"Don't have one."
"Bullshit... Brother." The Reverend's mouth pulled up at the corners again, but his eyes were a cold purple.
"Because you are a member of the Brotherhood. You and those big males you come in here with. The one with the goatee who drinks my vodka. The guy with the fucked-up face who sucks my whores. Don't know what to say about that human you hang with, but whatever."
Phury stared hard across the desk. "You've just violated every social custom our species has. But then, why should I expect good behavior out of a drug dealer?"
"And users always lie. So the question was pointless anyway, wasn't it?"
"Tread carefully, my man," Phury said in a low voice.
"Or you'll what? You saying you're a Brother, so I'd better shape up before you hurt me?"
"Health should never be taken for granted."
"Why won't you admit it? Or are you Brothers afraid that the race you fail will rebel? Are you hiding from all of us because of the shitty job you've been doing lately?"
Phury turned away. "Don't know what you're talking to me for."
"About the red smoke." The Reverend's voice was bladed like a knife. "I've just run out of it."
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A flicker of unease tightened Phury's chest. He looked over his shoulder. "There are other dealers."
"Have fun finding them."
Phury put his hand on the doorknob. When it refused to turn, he glanced back across the room. The Reverend was watching him, still as a cat. And trapping him in the office with his will.
Phury tightened his grip and pulled, tearing the piece of brass right off. As the door lolled open, he tossed the knob onto the Reverend's desk.
"Guess you're going to have to fix this."
He took two steps before a hand grabbed onto his arm. The Reverend's face was hard as stone, and so was his grip. With the blink of a violet eye, something flared between them, some kind of exchange... a current...
From out of nowhere, Phury felt an overwhelming tide of guilt, like someone had popped the lid off all his deepest concerns and his fears for the future of the race. He had to respond to it, couldn't bear the pressure.
Riding the wave, he found himself saying in a rush, "We live and die for our kind. The species is our first and only concern. We fight every night and count the jars of the lessers we kill. Stealth is the way we protect the civilians. The less they know about us, the safer they are. That is why we disappeared."
As soon as the words left him, he cursed.
Goddamn it, you could never trust a symphath, he thought. Or the feelings you had while you were around them.
"Let go of me, sin-eater," he gritted. "And stay the fuck out of my head."
The hard grip dissolved and the Reverend bowed a little, a measure of respect that was a shocker. "Well, what do you know, warrior. A shipment of red smoke just came in."
The male brushed by and walked slowly into the crowd, his mohawk, his thick shoulders, his aura getting lost in the people whose addictions he fed.
Bella took form in front of her family's home. The exterior lights were off, which was strange, but she was crying, so it wasn't like she would have seen much anyway. She let